1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a display device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a display device constituted such that a main display component can be put in a tilted orientation by the pushing together of a main display component and a stand unit attached to the main display component.
2. Background Information
In the past, it has been proposed that a main display component having a forward-facing liquid crystal display screen can be tilted by attaching a stand unit to the main display component. The structure of this will be described briefly through reference to FIG. 5A. In FIG. 5A, 1 is a main display component having a forward-facing display screen 12, and 2 is a stand unit. The stand unit 2 is equipped with an attachment base 3 affixed to the back of a main display component 1, and a main stand component 4 attached to the base 3 via a lateral shaft 31. The main stand component 4 is capable of opening and closing around the lateral shaft 31 between a working orientation, in which the main stand component 4 is pulled out diagonally downward from the main display component 1 so as to support from the rear the main display component 1, which is placed in a tilted orientation on a placement surface, such as a table top or the floor, and a storage orientation, in which the main stand component 4 is stored flush with the back of the main display component 1. In FIG. 5A, the working orientation of the main stand component 4 is indicated by solid lines, while the storage orientation is indicated by imaginary lines.
Meanwhile, it has been proposed that an elevating mechanism be provided to a television stand, and the television stand be designed so that it can be tilted right or left, so that the television can be turned to the right or left and moved up and down to make it easier to watch (see Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application S61-83385, for example). With the elevating mechanism proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application S61-83385, tooth holes are provided at a plurality of places in an articulated plate fixed to a fixing ring in which a television is held, a stopper that is elastically biased by a spring is provided to a support column to which the articulated plate is pivotably linked, and the fixing ring is pivoted so that the stopper fits into one of the tooth holes in the articulated plate, allowing the fixing ring to be supported at the desired elevation angle.
With the display device described through reference to FIG. 5A, when the main stand component 4 of the stand unit 2 is opened to the working orientation as indicated by the solid lines, and the main display component 1 and the main stand component 4 are placed on a placement surface F, the main display component 1 and the main stand component 4 push against each other and balance in a tilted orientation, so the main display component 1 is kept in a constant tilted orientation.
However, while the main display component 1 is kept in the tilted orientation, if the main display component 1 should be pushed backward by some kind of external force as shown by the arrow L in FIG. 5A, the opening angle of the main display component 1 and the main stand component 4 will steadily decrease as shown in FIG. 5B, and the pushing balance may be lost and the whole assembly fall over backward as shown by the arrow D in FIG. 5C. A situation such as this can occur, for instance, when the main display component 1 is set up in a tilted orientation on a table top or the floor and the main display component 1 is accidentally pushed backward by hand while the user is watching images on the liquid crystal display screen 12. In particular, when a location near the bottom end of the main display component 1 (a location near the placement surface F) is pushed, or when the surface of the placement surface F is not slippery, or when the bottom end of the main display component 1 has some kind of non-skid measure for the placement surface F, if the main display component 1 is pushed backward, the main stand component 4 will not move backward along with the main display component 1, and will instead close toward the storage orientation, which causes the main display component 1 to fall backwards. This situation is not improved at all by providing an elevating mechanism such as that described in the above-mentioned Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application S61-83385.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need to provide an improved display device with which a main display component can be stably kept in a tilted orientation, and will not fall over backward, even when pushed to the rear, which is accomplished by a configuration that does not allow the main stand component of a stand unit to close toward the storage orientation if the main display component is pushed to the rear when the main display component is supported from behind by the main stand component so that the two are balanced.
There exists another need to provide an improved display device with which the main stand component of a stand unit is automatically locked in the working orientation when the main stand component is opened from the storage orientation to the working orientation.
There exists yet another need to provide an improved display device with which unlocking can be easily accomplished when a main stand component that has been locked in the working orientation is to be closed and put in the storage orientation.
This invention addresses these needs in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.